[ BOOK ONE ]
Erin Gilbert believed the worst thing that could ever happen to her was the death of her parents. But when the Salvatore brothers waltz into town, she finds herself longing for the sorrow-filled days of the past.
All too soon, Erin's n...
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SIZZLING POPS SOUNDED from the skillet set on one of the four stovetop burners. The shredded hashbrowns inside darkened as they cooked thoroughly from the heat. Another pan held lumps of scrambled eggs, being pushed and moved about with the spatula in Erin's hand.
Over the last few weeks, Erin had grown sick of the prepackaged foods kept inside the Boarding House kitchen. She couldn't take the frozen dinners, the turkey sandwiches, or the boxed crackers any longer. She wanted something warm and savory and familiar. Breakfast had always been her favorite, and she just so happened to wake up earlier than she planned.
After all, Erin knew someone would stop by to try and drag her out of the home. It was the day of their Senior Prom. Her friends wouldn't let her miss it, no matter how much she tried to sway them to do so.
They meant well, but sometimes Erin wished that everyone would just leave her alone for a while. If only she were that lucky.
The door of the kitchen swung open, drawing Erin's attention away from the stove. She sighed at the sight of Caroline. Right on schedule.
"There you are," Caroline exclaimed as she moved further into the room. "I was wondering why it smelt so good, considering Stefan and Damon are playing catch in the parlor."
Erin turned back to the stove and picked up the skillet of scrambled eggs, raking them onto a clean plate on the counter. "Yeah, I got hungry," she stated, setting the hot pan onto a vacant burner and then turning off the other.
"That's good," Caroline voiced in what sounded like an excited tone. Erin looked at her with a raised brow, causing her to shake her head. "Not that you're hungry. I mean, that you're cooking."
In other words, Caroline was glad Erin wasn't in bed and letting the world pass her by. She wouldn't say as much out loud, but it was certainly implied. The same had been said to Elena when Stefan skipped town with Klaus, and that hadn't included near weeks of her being confined to her bed.
Erin switched off the other hot burner and slid the hashbrowns onto an adjacent one to cool. "I know, Care," she replied as she moved to stand across from her at the island counter.
Caroline smiled and stopped near the edge of the granite to face her. "Well, if you're feeling up for it, I have my last fitting for my prom dress in a few hours," she said, before her expression scrunched a bit. "And - you still haven't picked up yours."
There it was. The not-so-subtle nudge toward the prom topic. Erin saw it coming a mile away, and yet she hoped someone would've gotten the hint. That prom wasn't her main priority. That, in truth, it failed to even make the list.
